Marion & 'The Reader'

A story currently appearing in various gossip articles actually clears up why Marion Cotillard’s name popped up early last year in relation with “The Reader“:

Speaking to Newsweek, Harvey Weinstein confessed that the British star [Kate Winslet] was initially overlooked because of her filming commitments on Revolutionary Road.

“Before Kate came onboard, [producers] Anthony Minghella, myself and Scott Rudin had a conversation,” he claimed. “I said ‘Scott, she’s got Revolutionary Road. I think we should have insurance’.”

Weinstein revealed that the part was first offered to Nicole Kidman, who was forced to abandon the project after falling pregnant. French actress Marion Cotillard was later screen tested in Berlin, while Naomi Watts was also approached.

However, Weinstein admitted that director Stephen Daldry was adamant that Winslet was the only person who could play former Nazi guard Hanna Schmitz.
• source: Digitalspy.co.uk

In a report by the DailyMail it was also stated that Marion impressed Harvey Weinstein during her audition.

Now, Kate Winslet may very well walk away with an Oscar statuette on Sunday for her performance – but there are certainly no hard feelings as recent meetings between the two ladies proved.

Rock n' RollMarion Cotillard15 February 2017
Guillaume Canet is told by a young co-star that he's no longer Rock'n' Roll and he can't sell films anymore. He then tries to prove her wrong and gets help from his wife, Marion Cotillard.